ALLEGIANT
AIR will offer year-round, nonstop scheduled service
between Madison, Wis., and Las Vegas beginning Sept. 30. Using
162-seat MD-83 aircraft, the new service will operate on Thursday,
Friday, Sunday and Monday each week. The carrier is offering
introductory fares starting at $99 each way and two-for-one
vacation packages, in which a second person flies free when a two-,
three-, four- or five-night Allegiant Vacations package is
purchased. Both the introductory fare and two-for-one deals must be
purchased by Sept. 8 for travel taken between Sept. 30 and Nov. 18.
Reservations can be made by phone at (800) 432-3810 or online at www.allegiantair.com.
'PHANTOM'
TO APPEAR: The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino plans to bring
Andrew Lloyd Weber's "The Phantom of the Opera" to Las Vegas in
March 2006. The 90-minute version of the smash musical will be
directed by 20-time Tony Award winner Harold Prince and will be
performed in a $25 million theater that is being designed and built
specifically for the production. The Las Vegas version of the
musical will feature a series of special effects including an
onstage lake and an exploding replica of the Paris Opera House
chandelier.
NOW THAT'S
ENTERTAINMENT: The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino began
construction on a $7 million entertainment complex billed as "a
virtual theme park for women." Called The Ultimate Girls' Night
Out, the facility is scheduled to debut in December and will
feature a 400-seat Chippendales Theater with a 50-foot-wide stage
and private sky boxes to house the property's Chippendales show, a
cocktail lounge and retail area. The facility also will include a
ladies' room, but not just any ladies room. According to Rio
officials, the facility's facilities will be "an integral
attraction" complete with a plush "gossip pit." "We paid particular
attention to the design of this facility, knowing women want a
private, comfortable place to freshen up their appearance, exchange
fashion advice and tell secrets," said Marilyn Winn, the property's
senior vice president and general manager.
BUFFALO
BILL'S RESORT & CASINO, located 35 minutes south of
Las Vegas in Primm, turns 10 on Aug. 9. To help celebrate, Hootie
& The Blowfish will play the resort's 6,000-seat Star of the
Desert Arena this Saturday. Tickets are $10. The property also will
hold a free fireworks display Sunday night. Buffalo Bill's, Whiskey
Pete's Resort & Casino and Primm Valley Resort & Casino --
all located within a tram ride of each other -- are known as the
Primm Valley Resorts and are owned and operated by MGM
Mirage.
CORRECTION: BMI is not the first carrier to
offer scheduled service between Manchester, England, and the
western U.S., as was reported in the July 27 issue of the Las Vegas
E-Letter. That distinction belongs to British Airways (BA), which a
few years back ran scheduled service between Manchester and Los
Angeles, according to a BA spokesman.